A call for Marxist-Leninist unity.

  1. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    Hello comrades. I was thinking about the plight of Marxism-Leninism on the internet, and also in the real world but this post does not concern the later as much as the former. And I have noticed that though we are the biggest tendency here (not counting Anarchism which is more than one tendency really... they are just mostly interchangeable for some reason ) there are only a few of us who post regularly either in the group or on the boards and it is on the boards that I was thinking about; I couldn't sleep last night so I had to do something so I was thinking about this topic.

    Now we all have different viewpoints; some of us support Cuba while others don't; some of us like Hoxhaist Albania while other perfer Maoist China... while others are non-partisan in this regard. Some of us have a higher opinion of Stalin than others. That is all okay as long as we are true to the essence of Marxism-Leninism. However we are all joined by one thing, Marxism-Leninism, and talking from experience we mostly seem to agree on certain things; for instance we don't bog ourselves down with superficial or, important but lesser comcerns over our main concern of the liberation of the proletariat.

    Now, personally, I like all or almost all the Marxist-Leninists on this site; I think we are a top-notch band; Chuncho, Omsk, Dodger (who should join this group as he is an M-L), ColonelCossack, Jbeard, Siren Bang, Ismail (even if he still hasn't accepted my friend request; a board error obviously! ), Comrade Stalin, and all the others not listed as it is getting to long to list everyone I'd like to (sorry to any missed out due to this). And it is sad to see M-Ls arguing over trivial things in the boards (not that this is common) or not posting for fear of being alone in a tide of revisionist and reactionary voices.
    I think we need to support each other as much as we can (especially in threads about Marxism-Leninism, Stalin, Spain et cetera). I'm not saying we should always slavishly back each other up with trivial matters or when they say things we definitely disagree with, but we should all remember we are comrades and a lot of attacks (for instance all the members calling for Ismail to resign as a mod just because he posts Hoxha quotes a lot and is easy to scapegoat for the recent purging of members) are attacks on the sites M-L community. Any admin or mod who is an M-L seems to be harshly criticised (despite the fact they are some of the better and politer admins and mods) and we, M-Ls seem to be judged at a higher standard than other members; as if we are here only on sufferance.

    If an M-L is defending their position against the other members we should, I think, offer some support; if they have made a good post that is being neglected we should rep it. We should stand together as one; as comrades; as Marxist-Leninists.
  2. Khalid
    Khalid
    Great post, comrade. I totally agree with you.

    Freedom of discussion, unity of action.
  3. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    Indeed, unity of action. I am glad someone agrees.

    Solidarity forever!
  4. Comrade_Stalin
    Comrade_Stalin
    The main problem that I've seen so far is that we lack any system of standards or ground rules with dealing with difference in opinions. For example on unnamed Marxist-Leninist called a newcomer to the group a Nazi, for just saying that he was upset with the current election system in the United States, as well as having disbelief in the anarchist led occupy Wall Street movement. I think many of us can see that democratic election systems are biased toward those who have money and are better at advertising themselves at the next "leader". We also know that occupy Wall Street is not Vanguard let and in fact many of the protesters I heard from say they are happy that the movement is not controlled by some "central committee". You would think that this Marxist-Leninist would be accepted off the bat I found him under attack by many of my colleagues including ones who have been in good standings with me.

    What I think we should do is set a system of standards and ground rules when dealing with newcomers especially those who've not chosen Marxist-Leninist as their tendency of choice. I don't mind what you guys do or say to the leftcon. But newcomers should at least not be attacked for having minor differences in opinion when it comes to their support of Marxism-Leninism
  5. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    No, I agree with that. We should seek to guide newcomers to our movement not castigate them, even if they have a few flawed beliefs. As I say we are comrades and thus should be comradely! I think it would be a good idea for all of the regular M-Ls to think up some sort of code of conduct towards other M-Ls. Sort of self-moderation. We should show that we can be civil and actually run our tendency group in a manner befitting our Socialist principles.

    I also think we should make safeguards against M-Ls losing contact with the other M-Ls here. Whether it is some sort of off-site version of this or maybe another way can be devised; whatever the case many M-Ls have been banned or have left this place who have, and could further, enrich the knowledge of our movement... if only to keep the rest of us in touch with the happenings in other locales.
  6. ColonelCossack
    ColonelCossack
    You're right, comrades; we need to educate, and aim for an ever more scientific, materialistic approach to communism. Marxist-leninism is that.
  7. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    Indeed. It does sometimes seem like we are stagnating at times. Though much of this is we are forced to live in the past by people asking us stuff like "Y DO U LUV EVUL STALIN SO MUCH HE IS WRS THAN HITLER!!!!!!!1111111". Egh!
  8. DrStrangelove
    DrStrangelove
    Great post comrade.

    I don't post on revleft that often because of the constant attack Marxist-Leninists are under on the main forum. I don't tend to respond to flame wars well *I generally get frustrated and leave*. Ismail and Omsk always do a great job representing our tendencies and I always rep their posts.
  9. ColonelCossack
    ColonelCossack
    ^True dat
  10. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    Great post comrade.

    I don't post on revleft that often because of the constant attack Marxist-Leninists are under on the main forum. I don't tend to respond to flame wars well *I generally get frustrated and leave*. Ismail and Omsk always do a great job representing our tendencies and I always rep their posts.
    That is true and yes, Omsk and Ismail do hold the flag (red of course) for Marxism-Leninism well. I rep their posts also and they deserve it (sadly M-Ls are th eonly ones who do this).

    Also, good to see you are still around and remember not to fight in here this is the war room!
  11. El Chuncho
    El Chuncho
    Yep, Omsk and Ismail are great members. I always rep them when I can.

    We should have unity, though it can be quite risky at times. I defended fellow M-L Dodger from Sam_b's trolling and flaming - which I found very un-mod behaviour -earlier and it has become a flame war. They will be trying to push for an infraction for me now. Doubt Sam_b will get the same treatment. So, M-L unity does have it's risk. But is it worth it? Damn right it is!
  12. The Old Man from Scene 24
    All of the above is so true, comrades. We also seem to be the most productive out of all the tendencies. The anarchists spend all their time arguing with anyone who doesn't have the same exact opinion as them, or talking about crap like "what kind of pot do you like" and blowing stuff up. We seem to be the only ones who can actually get along and have productive discussions.
  13. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    I have noticed that. Not all Anarchists are as bad as other Anarchists, but, I have noticed the lack of solidarity on anything (other than how bad "Vanguardism" is, I guess). They seem to have a "dog-eat-dog" and "lets-talk-about-anything-other-than-implementing-Socialism" mentality which along with the "I am more badass than anyone" nonsense they are into does grate a bit.

    I am glad I share a tendency with people that have their heads screwed on tight and that I have generally liked most members of.

    I am also glad that this group is generally laid back. It is a good place to "chill" after the carnage that is the open forum of RevLeft.

    The only thing I think is that we should strengthen our bonds as it were. One arrow can be broken easily while forty are harder to snap.

    I hope other members will chip in with comments and suggestions.

    This is a long post, again, so I shall wrap it up now!
  14. Omsk
    Omsk
    Thanks for all the nice words comrades.

    I completely agree with this.

    But what i generally dislike,is that trollish members usually choose our tendency too fool around.Pretending they are Marxists-Leninists,they can really cause some trouble.

    And,to add up,a big thanks to all the people who participate in discussions and defend our tendency from various lies and attacks.
  15. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    I think the rash of fake M-Ls is mostly to do with the (slightly amusing) trolling article on (the almost universally unfunny) Encyclopedia Dramatica which implies (wrongly) that the best way to troll on RevLeft without being banned immediately is to be a "Stalinist".

    Either that or it is because we are sort of like the Opposition within the "political" entity that is RevLeft; being cynical about the site much of the time.
  16. El Chuncho
    El Chuncho
    The best way to troll the forum is for the troll to set your ideology as anarchist; no one would know the difference.

    The ED article that GallowsBird mentions is here:

    http://encyclopediadramatica.ch/Forum_Trolling#RevLeft

    It is nonsense, of course, and sadly it has caused a lot of juveniles to come and spam revleft posing as us, without really knowing much about communism in the first place.

    And every member here is making good points. And I totally agree with you, americancommunist. I think the fact that they just want to get high or blow things up just shows their immaturity and I am glad that no members of this group stoop to such immature nonsense.

    Also, GallowsBird, they are often, indeed, very ''dog-eat-dog''. I am not convinced that they are capable of actually forming any form of friendship (friendship is probably too ''vanguardist'' or ''bourgeois'' for them) which isn't just a loose alliance. They do not seem to function as real beings, only empty slogans (I do not want to speculate how they act in real life). This may seem very mean and might be a tad unfair, but it is just my observation.

    It is sad that the trollish behaviour of non-M-Ls has driven many away. I mean, I thought DrStrangelove must have been banned (good to see you back, Doc), same with Rjevan, Vegan Marxist and Marxaich Leninaich (who has disappeared). I know Comrade Stalin confines himself mostly to profiles and this group and I'll probably do that too. Cossack and his mother - and I do not really care whether she is or not as I am not hung up about online aliases - are probably going to get banned because they actually have a sense of humour on the open forums (but Cossack has posted many serious posts here, especially earlier on). All very sad really; you'd think that we only make up a minority of the communists in the world, when we are in fact the majority (though Trotskyism is more popular in Europe and the US; and online sites are often Eurocentric).
  17. ColonelCossack
    ColonelCossack
    The best way to troll the forum is for the troll to set your ideology as anarchist; no one would know the difference.

    The ED article that GallowsBird mentions is here:

    http://encyclopediadramatica.ch/Forum_Trolling#RevLeft

    It is nonsense, of course, and sadly it has caused a lot of juveniles to come and spam revleft posing as us, without really knowing much about communism in the first place.

    And every member here is making good points. And I totally agree with you, americancommunist. I think the fact that they just want to get high or blow things up just shows their immaturity and I am glad that no members of this group stoop to such immature nonsense.

    Also, GallowsBird, they are often, indeed, very ''dog-eat-dog''. I am not convinced that they are capable of actually forming any form of friendship (friendship is probably too ''vanguardist'' or ''bourgeois'' for them) which isn't just a loose alliance. They do not seem to function as real beings, only empty slogans (I do not want to speculate how they act in real life). This may seem very mean and might be a tad unfair, but it is just my observation.

    It is sad that the trollish behaviour of non-M-Ls has driven many away. I mean, I thought DrStrangelove must have been banned (good to see you back, Doc), same with Rjevan, Vegan Marxist and Marxaich Leninaich (who has disappeared). I know Comrade Stalin confines himself mostly to profiles and this group and I'll probably do that too. Cossack and his mother - and I do not really care whether she is or not as I am not hung up about online aliases - are probably going to get banned because they actually have a sense of humour on the open forums (but Cossack has posted many serious posts here, especially earlier on). All very sad really; you'd think that we only make up a minority of the communists in the world, when we are in fact the majority (though Trotskyism is more popular in Europe and the US; and online sites are often Eurocentric).
    Yeah, I read tthat article before joining revleft!

    Thanks for recognising that I have a sense of humor (news to me). However, I've always been very careful- I've never had an infraction! Ever! So I think if I do get banned it will be because of me acting out of character, or some irritating malpractise on an admins part, I suspect the Later. MotherCossack (who, incidentally, IS my mother!!!), however, has a bit less "savvy", so to speak, and I have an idea she might be more likely to slip up. But she isn't an M-L; she's a trot! I get the M-Lism from "FatherCossack" (lol hereditary disease). Maybe I'll make more serious posts in future. trouble is I've got exams etc. so I only really have time for innane shit.
  18. ColonelCossack
    ColonelCossack
    Also I know what you mean about non-M-L's being more "dog eat dog" and juvenile.
  19. Sixiang
    Sixiang
    I also think we should make safeguards against M-Ls losing contact with the other M-Ls here. Whether it is some sort of off-site version of this or maybe another way can be devised; whatever the case many M-Ls have been banned or have left this place who have, and could further, enrich the knowledge of our movement... if only to keep the rest of us in touch with the happenings in other locales.
    I made sure I got comrades' email addresses when I left the site for a little while so I could keep in touch.

    Great discussion and first post, by the way. I try to support all the other ML's here on the site whenever I'm posting about the rest of the forum. And we do seem to be getting more active lately, which is good. The ML's mods need to stay strong. We need representation in the leadership.
  20. El Chuncho
    El Chuncho
    I agree, Siren Bang, sadly we do not have many active mods here now. Incidentally, I'll send you my email too. If we all end up banned, I'll move on to the board GallowsBird is making (good to have a backup plan in case they do decide to ban or restrict all M-Ls like they did in the past).

    It is good to see more activity indeed. Both here and on the main forum.
  21. ColonelCossack
    ColonelCossack
    Anyone want my email?
  22. The Old Man from Scene 24
    So GallowsBird is making a new site? Never heard of it.
  23. Comrade Samuel
    Comrade Samuel
    A great post, It seems to me like its marx-leninists v.s every other tendency here (I know that's not true and there is unity among leftism and such.) but it seems like every post involving us nowadays just stareotypes us as a bunch Stalin worshipping soviet fan-boys whos opinions can just be disreguarded even when some of the best posters Ive seen are in fact m-l and I am glad to see someone taking action to generate actual discussion for a tendency that's remained pretty stagnant since I joined here.
  24. ColonelCossack
    ColonelCossack
    A great post, It seems to me like its marx-leninists v.s every other tendency here (I know that's not true and there is unity among leftism and such.) but it seems like every post involving us nowadays just stareotypes us as a bunch Stalin worshipping soviet fan-boys whos opinions can just be disreguarded even when some of the best posters Ive seen are in fact m-l and I am glad to see someone taking action to generate actual discussion for a tendency that's remained pretty stagnant since I joined here.
    This.
  25. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    So GallowsBird is making a new site? Never heard of it.
    Not exactly. I am toying with the idea. However I would not like to do one by myself and run it like an e-dictatorship as many forums are; I'd only do one with the support of others (at the moment ColonelCossack and El Chuncho are on board to support it) who would decide how it is to be run and the rules (we should vote on board policies rather than have all-powerful Admins who decide everything). I would also suggest it be used as an expanded form of this group we are in now; that is a place for the debating of policies, economic strategies. I still think people should be members of forums like this one to keep a Marxist-Leninist presence and thus teach others about our cause; after all, as unimportant as forums like this are in many regards, they have been a place where some have discovered Marxism-Leninism. A few members signed up here as just "Communists", "Marxists" or "Leftists" looking for a clear ideology and found ours. Likewise a few Anarchists and Trotskyists have, so I wouldn't want it to be a "Secessionist-RevLeft" site like ******* (which we are banned from posting on ironically).
  26. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    "Secessionist-RevLeft" site like *******
    Ah, the board-that-dare-not-speak-its-name. Didn't know this site censored "enemy forums".
  27. GallowsBird
    GallowsBird
    A great post, It seems to me like its marx-leninists v.s every other tendency here (I know that's not true and there is unity among leftism and such.) but it seems like every post involving us nowadays just stareotypes us as a bunch Stalin worshipping soviet fan-boys whos opinions can just be disreguarded even when some of the best posters Ive seen are in fact m-l and I am glad to see someone taking action to generate actual discussion for a tendency that's remained pretty stagnant since I joined here.
    Word!

    Yeah, that is probably the main problem at the moment. I know many such as El Chuncho used to try to be very non-secterian and try to prove them wrong but they found it hard to maintain a "smile" while being stereotyped as an ultra-fan of anything and anything USSR related. A defense of anything Soviet/Stalin-related seems to lead to accusations of being a "Tankie".

    Thank's for the compliment.
  28. El Chuncho
    El Chuncho
    Yeah, I'd prefer to be non-sectarian - so I do not have to defend Stalin all the damn time whenever I want to post about theory or practice - but I have seen that it is indeed a pipe-dream and it does seem that it is, as рабочие товарищ put it, everyone against Marxism-Leninism on this site; with some exceptions.
  29. The Old Man from Scene 24
    ********

    wow, I though GallowsBird was joking...
  30. Zealot
    Zealot
    Nice post, I try to wipe out lies and rep posts whenever I see them but Omsk and Ismail do quite a good job defending our tendency. Maybe we could have a separate topic where you can post a link back to a post you've made so that Comrades can offer support and sway the discussions in our favor. Because often I miss a lot of topics.

    As a side note, it would be awesome if we had some sort of M-L handbook that would deal with our tendency and Stalin. Another View of Stalin is good but it only covers the criticisms of Stalin and even some of those could be updated with new sources and evidence. The quotes Omsk, Ismail and other Comrades have collected would start this project up quite swiftly.
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